UNITY!
Written by Mrs. Hayley Gowen
“Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters dwell in unity!“ Psalm 133:1
A new year and new semester brings a time to set goals for the rest of the school year and even beyond. On the first day back from winter break, students discussed this verse and goals they have for themselves and our class. They discussed how being unified in a task makes it much more doable than if a person is trying to work alone. I gave them the example of how Headmaster Garner wanted to start a school that would holistically educate children but he needed teachers that had the same heart for children and the Lord in order to make the Academy what it is now.
The students agreed that this semester they want to grow in their relationships with one another and set a goal to be kind to one another. They also created personal goals that included:
helping people to get along
learning to solve conflicts
helping others when needed, and then praying for them
The first two weeks of each semester is spent helping students reorient to the learning environment and enjoy team-building activities with their classmates and teachers.
These goals will be a stepping stone for bringing about unity in our classroom. I’m excited about where this semester takes these students when they are so insightfully setting goals that will help them learn how to love their neighbor. Practically, students will participate in a time of focused prayer where they will grow in their endurance to pray for longer periods of time, more times of group prayer, and discussion of topics related to their semester goals. It’s going to be a wonderful semester
